Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 21, 2012 in Videogames
Foregoing traditional launch tactics, Sony staggered the launch of their PlayStation Vita by offering several different bundles for their new handheld. Having had an opportunity to play several of the launch titles at industry events over the past year, I’ve been dying to pick one up, but with several different bundles available and retailers offering their own deals, deciding which to get and where to shop can be a bit tricky. So, I thought we should probably go over some of the best deals. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 20, 2012 in Television
This weekend, HBO released a series of spoiler-free character posters advertising the upcoming season of Game of Thrones. Set to premiere this April, the second season will follow second novel in George R.R. Martin’s award-winning series A Song of Ice & Fire, picking up right where A Game of Thrones left off. Having read the books, I’ve been dying to talk about it, but I’m afraid of spoiling anything for those who haven’t had a chance to pick up the novels. Without spoiling too much, I can assure you this next season should be full of action, suspense and intrigue. They’ll even spend more time north of The Wall. Check out the posters after the break and remember, Game of Thrones season 2 premieres April 1st on HBO. Read more…
A clever bunch of marketing folks in South Africa recently needed to promote the second season of Walking Dead. So how better to do that than unleash a zombie on the public? They gathered a group of unsuspecting people to watch a rom-com movie trailer (a very fake one) but then set their zombie loose in the theater. It sounds lame, but trust me, the ending is worth it. Click through for the full video. Read more…
Ever wished you could hang the Hylian Family Crest on your ears? Or maybe a metal shield? Thankfully, these satisfy both requirements but won’t weigh as much as a real shield: Hylian shield earrings! The fantastically-named Bohemian Craftsody has created a bundle of cute Hylian shields in several different form factors. Not up for dangle earrings? There are stud versions available, as well as a ring or pin version. Check them out! Read more…
The latest installment in the Ninja Gaiden series is coming March 23rd, so to get the hype train rolling, we’ve got a new trailer featuring Ryu Hayabusa in action. Looks like he gets to battle some giant robots this time! In addition to single player, the game will also have online co-op and competitive multiplayer, so you can slice up friends and foes alike. Click through for the full 5-minute trailer of gameplay and cutscenes! Read more…
Interested in how games are made? Maybe interested in some charity too? Well today is your lucky day, as the organizers of the incredibly popular Humble Bundle are partnering with Mojang (creators of Minecraft) to create a game in 60 hours for charity. Basically, by the time the weekend is over, you’ll see a finished game show up. Currently, polls on Mojang’s site are dictating that the game will be a “steampunk real time strategy” game. They’ve already started, so hop on over and check out the whole process! Read more…
New iOS game PSA time! Out now on the App Store is Beat Sneak Bandit, the latest game from Simogo. It’s a fantastic little puzzle game that also has a little rhythm game mixed in with it. The aim is to collect as many clocks as you can while staying in time with the beat of the music. It starts simple but ramps up and becomes really involving. And if you’ve ever wanted to play an interactive Saul Bass opening, this is probably the closest you’re gonna get. Read more…
Remember those Minecraft LEGO sets we kept hearing about? Well here it is: the third LEGO CUUSOO crowd-voted project! It’s modular in design, so while it fits together as a single model (as seen above) it also separates into 4 sections that function as their own set. It doesn’t look too bad (and for the LEGO collectors out there, it has lots of handy flat 1×1 tiles in it). You can pre-order it through J!NX’s online store for $34.99 and it’ll release in the summer! Read more…
Just a friendly reminder, yesterday saw the release of Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1. Dark Horse’s latest Star Wars series focuses on the era of the first Jedi, before the force was divided between light and dark. During this time, Jedi exist as an order of warrior monks who strive to maintain peace and balance. The initial arc surrounds the coming of a stranger said to bring an end to the balance by heralding a new era of conquest and exploration. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 16, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
When it comes to mobile gaming, I’m always in the market for a decent control interface. Recently I wrote about Ten One’s Fling Joystick which allows you to stick an analog nub to your favorite tablet or smartphone. While it’s a great alternative to fussing with a touchscreen interface, it has its shortcomings such as a lack of buttons, and so on. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives such as ION Audio’s iCade series. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 15, 2012 in Videogames
There are so many video games out there, and while most gamers find themselves content with the mundane titles the industry churns out on a regular basis, some look to indie developers for an experience they can’t find anywhere else. These developers slave over their games, often without any benefits or guaranteed paychecks, not because they have to, but because they love to, one aspect of which is the music. Indie Game Music Bundle is a collection of soundtracks from various game composers who’ve worked on some of the most popular indie titles, some of which are among the most amazing scores I’ve ever heard. Their latest bundle features even more music and includes artists like Jim Guthrie, and Tomáš Dvořák. Finally, while the majority of the revenue from this project goes to the artists themselves, no doubt to maintain a steady supply of Hot Pockets, a portion of the proceeds also go to the American Cancer Society and Child’s Play. Click here for more info.
A double-header today: Late afternoon Nickelodeon treats us to a mini-upfront for their new “NICKMOM” brand, and early evening Bill Plympton premieres his restored and colorized version of a classic Winsor McCay ‘toon, The Flying House. Not much in common between them except for two factors: my presence… and free food. (Nick gets the edge, thanks to their open bar.) Read more…
Last weekend, Ben posted one of the variant covers for IDW’s upcoming Doctor Who/Star Trek crossover comic. A few more details have since surfaced, including our first look at the official cover art, courtesy of StarTrek.com. Set for release this May, Assimilation2 #1 will be the first of eight and will feature The Doctor and his Series 6 companions, Amy & Rory, teaming with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D to take on deadly alliance between the Borg Collective and their newest ally, the Cybermen. Read more…
I always thought it’d be cool to own one of those hover boards from Back to the Future II & III, but I don’t think anyone has actually tried to manufacture one, that is, until now. Revealed at yesterday’s New York Toy Fair, MattyCollector.com plans to manufacture a 1:1 scale replica of Marty’s hover board as it was seen in the films. While they claim the board doesn’t actually hover, it apparently glides over most surfaces. Additionally, the cost of manufacturing the boards would be so much that they will need to reach a certain amount of pre-orders before going ahead with production. If the minimum, which has yet to be disclosed along with the price, is not met by the deadline of March 20th, all pre-orders will be refunded in full. Again, while the price has yet to be disclosed, pre-orders will start on March 1st and run through the 20th. Oh and keep in mind, it won’t work on water.
The other week we showed off a little teaser for Lego’s upcoming Lord of the Rings product line, but it’s not the only film license they have in the works. With Marvel’s The Avengers coming to theaters this summer, Lego will be dropping a few sets to tie-in with the film. I’m not posting photos of all of them as they might actually spoil a few scenes from the film, but if you just have to see them, click here. Otherwise, just click on the break for more.
Here in the West, Sega’s Yakuza series is considered a bit niche, but that hasn’t kept its fans from falling in love with it. When Sega of America decided to skimp with their localizations, fans were passionately vocal in their opposition. In Japan however, the series has been so successful that it’s led to two films by acclaimed cult-director Takeshi Miike, and a television drama based on the PSP spin-off Yakuza: Black Panther. This April, the drama returns with a second season based on the upcoming sequel. Read more…
Here’s a crossover I’m sure many of you will be excited to hear about: Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Next Generation! Bleeding Cool has scooped art and some minor details regarding a new comic book series from IDW starring The Doctor, Amy, Captain Picard, Worf, and the rest of the gang. No news yet on the story or the crew creating the comic yet, but at the very least you can check out the cover art after the break! Read more…
George Lucas has been jumping about promoting Star Wars Episode I in 3D, and recently did an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. The interviewer, I assume, wanted to give George one last chance to repent (or something) but instead he just went further into the deep end. When asked about the ‘ruckus’ over Han or Greedo shooting first, George said something plain silly. Read more…
NECA promised us a Portal gun replica a while back, and now it’s finally up for pre-order! At least, on Japanese toy sites. Yes, the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device can soon be yours, for only ¥16,000. That’s almost $200, with our currently delightful exchange rate. However, most sites discount it for pre-orders and Hobby Search (sold out) has it for roughly ¥13,000, while AmiAmi is running at ¥12,400 (still available). But, there’s this little thing called Toy Fair happening next week where we’ll be hearing more about an American release. Read more…
I’ll be honest, I hadn’t been paying much attention to Grasshopper’s latest, Lollipop Chainsaw. However, this new trailer for Valentine’s Day looks to be kicking it up a notch in the romance department… that is, if you’re okay with guys that’re only a head. And let’s be honest: if a video game features a girl kicking her boyfriend’s disembodied head into waves of zombies as a power move, well, that’s begging to be posted. Looks like this game is going to be cheesy as it can be! Read more…
The highest-grossing film in China is arriving on American shores finally, and Well Go USA has brought us a new trailer via AICN to help promote it. Let The Bullets Fly broke box-office records in China in 2010 and starred Chow Yun-Fat, Jiang Wen, and Ge You as the main characters. It’s a bit goofy, features dark humor, and is very, very violent. When it shows up March 2nd it’ll be showing in select theaters and will be available On Demand as well. Click through for the trailer! Read more…
I’ll take any opportunity to write about Blade Runner, and the last week has been filled with speculation and rumors. It all began with Twitch posting an article claiming they learned that Harrison Ford was in talks to join the sequel. Two days later, the head honchos at Alcon (the company financing the sequel) said this wasn’t true at all. Now, AICN posted an Entertainment Weekly article in which Ridley Scott himself speaks out on the film. What did he have to say? Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 9, 2012 in Television
This is either going to be great or terrible: It looks like there’s a deal in the works to do a reimagined version of Space:1999 which is currently titled Space 2099. It looks like the project is a joint venture between ITV Studios America and HDFILMS which is based out of Hollywood. Above is a promotional poster which looks cool — although we’ll have to keep our fingers crossed that the scripting and the casting are good.
Back in December, YouTube user KinectFAAST showed off his Kinect-enabled Skyrim mod. Part of a larger series of mods in which he combines PC games with Microsoft Kinect functionality, the video made its rounds, eventually ending up on popular gaming blogs like Joystiq and Destructoid. Not too long after, KinectFAAST posted a follow-up showing off some of the enhancements he had made since his initial post. In addition to swapping through his favorites via simple voice commands, and simply interacting with the world, newer commands allow him to choose just how many potions he drinks, select weapon presets on the fly, determine the strength of his shouts by the word, and even use a bow and arrow with ease. Needless to say, it’s really impressive work. Be sure to check out more of his videos by visiting his YouTube channel, and let him know what you think by leaving a comment on each video.
